Fancy That: Foreign Influence and Class Dogs in Pinehurst, N.C.

Posted By Christi McDonald

I’m reporting today on shows that were fairly close to home for me. Two all-breed shows were held in Pinehurst, N.C., at the Pinehurst Harness Track on Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16, 2012, following the Carolina Terrier show on Friday.

Although of course it takes an army to run any dog show, the Moore County Kennel Club of North Carolina shows have been known for many years as “Janie and Bob’s shows,” owing to the fact that Jane and Bob Forsyth are a big part of the club. Mrs. Forsyth was in fact to judge all of Carolina Terrier regular classes and the Group on Friday, but unfortunately she passed out during Norfolk judging in the morning and was taken to the hospital. She was kept overnight for observation, and we’re told she’s doing well now.

Judge David Kirkland, who also lives locally, took over for Mrs. Forsyth to finish the Terrier assignment on Friday and awarded Best in Show to Scottie GCh. McVan’s Be Bop Baby, handled by Rebecca Cross for breeder-owners Vandra Huber and Mike Krolewski. ‘Betsy’ was Best of Breed at Crufts in 2012, and her litter sister, Int. Rus. Ch. McVan’s To Russia With Love, was also among the entry in Birmingham, England, winning the Limit Bitch class. With 106 Scotties entered and only eight absentees, it was quite a feat for one American kennel to win both the breed and an additional class in a country known for its Terriers.

Yours truly judged the Puppy Group for Carolina Terrier, so I’ll mention that Best Puppy went to Welsh Terrier Shaireab’s Bayleigh Wolverine, handled by Tracy Szaras and team. Sharon Abmeyer and Keith Bailey, arguably the most successful Welsh Terrier breeders on American shores, bred and own the youngster, co-bred by Patricia Clark.

The black Great Dane bitch, GCh. Longo Miller N Lore Diamond Lil, was the Best in Show winner both days, under judges Frank Sabella and Michele Billings. ‘Scout’ is handled by Laura Coomes for breeder-owners Jay Miller, Tootie Longo, Lorraine Matherly and Col. Charles Crawford. Until Scout came along, her grandmother, Ch. Longo’s Alana Fontana, was the top-winning black Great Dane in breed history, with five all-breed Best in Shows and 10 specialty Best in Shows, also handled by Laura. Sunday’s win was the eighth all-breed Best for Scout. We’ve inquired of her owners as to how many specialty BIS Scout has won so far, and we’ll report back as soon as we know all the details.

Reserve BIS and the Sporting Group blue ribbons were awarded both days to Field Spaniel GCh. Nautica’s Wind River Gold handled by Shelby Roberts. ‘Hudson’ had a fortuitous start to his career when, the first weekend he was shown at just 6 months of age, he won a 3-point major, handled by his owner Nichole Dooley. He then won several Best of Breeds over specials before finishing his championship. His dam, Ch. Nautica’s Quest for the Gold, finished at just 7 months of age with three majors breeder/owner-handled by Danielle Brewer, so it runs in the family.

Two interesting aspects when looking at the rest of the Group winners for the weekend: three dogs won Groups this weekend from the classes, and a number of the winners have foreign connections.

The Hound Group winner on Saturday was Borzoi GCh. Majenkir Bookstor Glamour Girl, handled by Rhanda Glenn. In an August edition of Fancy That, I wrote a bit about the success of the Majenkir Borzoi. Glamour Girl is owned by Majenkir’s Karen Staudt-Cartabona with Karen Spey, who is perhaps better known, with her husband Howard, for the Bookstor Pointers. There is a fascinating story behind Glamour Girl’s paternal grandsire, Am. Rus. Ch. Majenkir Novic Mily.

As previously noted, the Majenkir Borzoi go back to the original Russian dogs brought into the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. In the early 1990s, friends of Karen Staudt-Cartabona’s were visiting Leningrad, Russia, now called St. Petersburg, when, through truly chance circumstances, they became acquainted with some local Borzoi fanciers. One of them, Nadia Navakova, subsequently visited Majenkir. These cultural exchanges prompted the creation of a nonprofit organization, “Save Russia’s Borzoi,” designed to help then-Soviet citizens who were living in poverty to maintain their Borzoi. What American Borzoi fanciers were able to do in the Soviet Union for Borzoi people is truly amazing, and you must read the whole story on the Majenkir site.

In any case, after the fall of the Soviet regime, Nadia, with the help of her American compatriots, was able to purchase land and build a small kennel. She and Karen Staudt-Cartabona made plans to exchange Borzoi, with a dog going to Russia and a bitch coming to Majenkir in America. Majenkir Novic Mily is the dog that went to Russia. Karen sent him over at 4 months of age, and Nadia selected his name, ‘Mily’ which means “sweetheart.”

Mily easily became a Russian champion and sired several litters there before being returned to Majenkir in 2000, when the economy continued to decline in Russia and Nadia was forced to reduce her number of dogs. When he was back on home soil, Karen finished his American championship from the Bred-by class in short order. At least five of Mily’s offspring have become Russian champions. Glamour Girl’s sire, Ch. Majenkir Nearctic, is just one of numerous champions he’s sired since his return.

The Hound Group on Sunday was won by another sighthound whose heritage also takes us across the ocean. Tells Matrix Reloaded won the breed and Group First from the classes, handled by Chris Manelopoulos. ‘Matrix’ was bred at the successful Tells Afghan kennel in Sweden. His sire, Ch. Elan Sebring The Matrix, was bred here by Rachel Irvin, Jerry Klein, Lex Robertson and Ken Tippie, and handled by Rachel to Number 1 Afghan in 2006 and Best in Show at the Afghan National Specialties in 2005 and 2006.

‘Neo’ then went to Sweden, where Camilla Tell handled him to Number 1 Afghan Hound and his Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Nordic championships. While there, he sired Matrix, who, after growing up, became a Swedish and Norwegian champion and specialty BIS winner in Sweden. Now he has come to the U.S. to see what he can do with Chris, and, if his debut on Sunday is any indication, he’ll have a successful run.

Another winner from the classes in Pinehurst was Saturday’s Terrier Group winner, Wire Fox Terrier Fox Creek JP I Wish, who, like the Afghan, earned a 5-point major with her blue ribbon. Bred in Japan by his owner, Hiroshi Tsuyuki, who has had such success as both a professional handler and as a breeder in Japan and around the world. Handled here by Tracy Szaras, the Wire is of American and English breeding, by Ch. Kathrich Santeric Windfall out of Enchantment Lillian of Santeric.

Her sire, Ch. Kathrich Santeric Windfall, from the successful collaboration of two very dedicated Wire breeders, Kathy Reges and Ric Chashoudian, was Best of Winners in 2002 at Wire Fox Terrier Club of the Central States, which is among the most important events each year for Wires.

Her dam, Enchantment Lillian of Santeric, is a daughter of Ch. Kathrich Santeric Relentess, and he and Windfall carry numerous lines to the world-renowned Louline Wire Fox Terriers of GeirFlyckt-Pedersen, which in turn go back to two dogs that, when imported to the U.S., became top winners and top sires, Ir. Eng. Am. Ch. Galsul Excellence, ‘Paddy,’ and Ch. Sylair Special Edition, ‘George.’ Paddy was Top Dog of all breeds in the U.S. in 1986 and ’87, and George, after a successful show career that included Group First at Westminster in 1987, became the top Wire Fox Terrier sire of all time in the U.S.

Also winning a 5-point major with a Group First on Saturday was Papillon Afternoon Delight Forussi, bred in Poland by Katarzyna and Boguslaw and owner-handled here by Pat Quinn. His sire, Ambassador Forussi, is a Polish, Bulgarian, Balkan and Romanian champion with champion offspring in Russia, Thailand and Germany. Grandsire Paparazzo Forussi, a Polish, Russian, Moldovian and Lithuanian champion, is a Best in Show winner in Poland.

The Terrier Group winner on Sunday was GCh. Shaireab’s Bayleigh Maid of Honor, handled by Tracy Szaras, and also from Sharon Abmeyer and Keith Bailey’s current crop of very successful Welsh Terriers.

The Toy Group winner on Sunday was Italian Greyhound GCh. Integra’s Masquerade Party breeder/owner-handled by Mark Lucas. ‘Harley’ is already a Best in Show winner who comes from Best in Show winners on both sides of her pedigree: her sire, Ch. Ciel-Rohan’sSizzlin Hot, and both her maternal grandsire and maternal granddam, Ch. Valentino’s Rocco and Ch. Hearsay All About Dharma, all took home top awards during their show careers.

Winning the first Non-Sporting Group was Schipperke GCh. Nanhall’s Phoenix on Fyre, owner-handled by Fran Keyes. Fran has bred more than 130 champions, including Ch. Nanhalls Charbonne, one of the breed’s all time top producers, as well as numerous all-breed and National Specialty BIS winners.

The Sunday Non-Sporting Group winner was Xoloitzcuintli Ch. Tecoman Avalos, bred and owned by Hugo Avalos and handled by Pepe Anastas. He represented Mexico at the Eukanuba World Challenge in 2011 and became one of the finalists in the competition. He is also owned now by Thomas Davies and Katherine Toohey.

Old English Sheepdog GCh. Masquerade Mikey Likes It won Saturday’s Herding Group, owner-handled by Julia Hewitt, who owns him with breeder Marnie Harris.
‘Mikey’ and his sire, Ch. Masquerade Megabucks, have made their presence felt in the Old English and Herding Group rings for the past six years; Mikey has been a Top 10 Old English Sheepdog in 2010, 2011 and 2012, while his dad was in the Top 10 in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Sunday’s Herding Group winner was German Shepherd GCh. Wolf Greek Galaxy of Merivern, handled by Scott Yergin for owners Edward Farrell and Pat Walker. His sire, Ch. Kenlyn’s Aries v Hicliff, was the 2011 top sire of all breeds with 19 champions for the year.

There were lots more dog shows this past weekend with exciting results, and you can find them all on Billy Wheeler’s Dog Show Poop blog. See you next week with results from another weekend of dog shows!

Christi McDonald is a second-generation dog person, raised with a kennel full of Cairn Terriers. After more than a decade as a professional handler’s apprentice and handling professionally on her own, primarily Poodles and Cairns, she landed a fortuitous position in advertising sales with the monthly all-breed magazine ShowSight. This led to an 11-year run at Dogs in Review, where she wore several hats, including advertising sales rep, ad sales manager and, finally, editor for five years. Christi is proud to be part of the editorial team for the cutting-edge Best In Show Daily. She lives in Apex, N.C., with two homebred black Toy Poodles, the last of her Foxfire line, and a Norwich Terrier.